The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
1229 
A  Farm  Woman’s  Notes 
Farmer’s  Talk  on  School  Consolidation 
The  man,  the  drill,  and  the  drooping 
team  crept  slowly  back  on  the  last  lap. 
A  drifting  cloud  of  fine  sand,  dry  from 
many  rainless  mouthy,  (followed  them 
like  a  scroll.  In  the  process  of  being 
created  a  cloud,  the  sand  particles  had 
transformed  man  and  beasts  into  dun- 
colored,  red-eyed,  grit-chewing  mechan¬ 
isms  that  plodded  grimly  through  a  job 
because  it  had  to  be  done.  The  cover 
crop  must  be  got  into  the  big  potato 
field  in  time  to  catch  every  drop  of  the 
Fall  rains.  Must  depend  on  rain  or  get 
ready  for  famine.  The  yoking  potato 
grower  had  chosen  to  believe  in  plenty  of 
rain  for  the  Fall,  because  one  extreme 
follows  another.  It  looked  like  rain  to¬ 
day,  as  it  had  looked  like  rain  on  many 
other  days  without  offering  a  single  drop. 
Often  he  thought  the  breeze  seemed 
fresher,  moist-laden,  and  turned  anxious¬ 
ly  to  the  horizon  now  shadowed  in  gray 
mist,  for  a  storm  hovered  to  the  south. 
At  the  end  he  stopped  to  adjust  the 
machinery,  looked  in  at  the  empty  seed 
compartment  and  up  at  the  sun.  The 
noses  of  the  team  turned  wistfully,  hun¬ 
grily,  though  it  lacked  a  half  hour  of 
noon,  but  swung  back  abruptly  to  study 
the  sudden  appearance  of  a  motor  car 
in  the  cinder  drive.  The  young  potato 
grower  saw  it  too,  and  sighed,  scrubbing 
his  face  with  a  handkerchief. 
It  was  the  school  superintendent.  A 
trustee’s  face  can  exhibit  dirt  to  an  agent 
with,  perfect  calmness,  but  not  _  to  his 
superintendent,  whose  eye  is  a  mirror  in 
which  one  sees  such  glaring  deficiencies 
in  the  toilet,  or  if  one’s  face  is  over  red, 
or  one’s  muscles  indecently  displayed. 
Not  that  the  superintendent  was  silly; 
he  was  a  good  careful  fellow,  all  right. 
But  as  he  let  those  long  well-trousered 
legs  out  of  the  car  and  came  up  the  drive 
he  wa*s  so  dapper,  so  lady-like  in  his.  at¬ 
titude  toward  dusty  men  and  tired 
sweating  horses,  that  the  young  potato 
grower  envied  the  chickens  that  scuttled 
from  his  path  their  right  to  run.  .  Hav¬ 
ing  made  himself  at  least  recognizable, 
lie  faced  his  visitor  with  a  grimace 'that 
was  meant  for  a  welcoming  smile. 
“Did  you  buy  any  of  those  folding 
maps  that  fellow  was  selling  the  other 
day?”  the  superintendent  asked  eagerly. 
“Didn’t  see  the  man,”  said  the  farm 
man,  trying  not  to  feel  guilty  for  some¬ 
thing  he  had  not  done.  “We  bought  new 
maps  last  year,  you  remember,  don’t 
you?” 
“Yes,  I  helped  you  select  them,”  ad¬ 
mitted  the  school  superintendent  dryly. 
“But  that  might  not  have  prevented  yon 
from  buying  more  if  you  had  seen  this 
agent.  lie  is  a  good  talker  and  is  selling 
a  lot  of  them.  AVe  don’t  want  the  kind 
of  maps  he  carries ;  they  are  very  un¬ 
satisfactory.  I  am  trying  to  get  around 
to  as  many  of  the  districts  as  I  can  be¬ 
fore  he  does.  Already  it  is  noon,  eh? 
'Well,  I’m  going  home  to  dinner.” 
“I’m  much  obliged  to  you,”  murmured 
the  younger  man  starting  to  gather  up 
his  reins.  But  the  other  hesitated. 
“I’m  curious  to  know  how  you  feel. on 
the  consolidation,”  he  said,  and  catching 
a  hostile  glint  in  the  farm  man’s  ey 1 
turned  to  find  a  seat.  “Here  we  are  all 
trying  to  brighten  the  lot  of  the  farm 
child.  Now  when  we’ve  found  a  way  to 
give  them  the  best  advantages  it  seems 
too  bad  that  the  farm  folks  are  going 
against  it  simply  because  it  costs  a  little 
more  money.  That  doesn’t  seem  right. 
The  children  ought  to  have  their  chance, 
even  though  it  leads  away  from  the  farm. 
It  looks  as  if  farm  people  were  too  sel¬ 
fish  to  vote  for  the  consolidation.  I  hope 
not,  but  it  looks  so.  I’ve  been  taking  a 
straw  vote  as  I  go  along.”  he  explained. 
The  farm  man  blushed.  “I’m  not  for 
it  either.”  he  declared.  “Hope  you  don’t 
mind  plain  speaking ;  I’ll  tell  you  why.” 
As  the  other  man  nodded  he  went  on.  “It 
does  cost  more,  and  the  transportation 
would  be  a  problem  here  in  New  York 
State,  but  even  that  would  never  stop  us 
if  we  thought  our  children  would  be  bene¬ 
fited.  Look  here,  when  the  old-fashioned 
rural  school  is  capable  of  starting  a  child 
for  the  Presidency,  or  to  be  anything 
which  demands  the  highest  type  of  brain, 
why  change  the  method?  Perhaps  your 
city  education  dulls  the  initiative  faculty 
that  would  make  an  executive;  it  lacks 
the  laboratory  practice  in  business  that  a 
country  boy  gets  with  his  bread  and 
butter.” 
“l"et  this  same  country  boy  has  to  get 
the  city  education  sooner  or  later,  if  he 
is  to  amount  to  anything,”  doubted  the 
superintendent.  “Why  not  give  it  at 
first  and  save  time?  These  children 
would  spend  their  spare  time  at  home 
the  same  as  before.” 
“A  few  might,”  admitted  the  farm 
man.  “But  the  time  of  the  majority 
would  be  absorbed  in  home  lessons,  in 
going  to  and  fro,  and  longing  for  more 
expensive  clothes.  Good  clothes  are  de¬ 
sirable,  yet  fine  appearance  should  be 
studied,  not  worshipped.  Crowds  out 
everything  else.  Too  much  energy  wasted 
on  a  powder  puff  makes  an  empty  head." 
“You  seem  to  have  forgotten,”  said  the 
superintendent  after  a  little  silence,  “that 
the  boy  who  leaves  the  farm  for  other 
fields  of  business  is  to  be  judged  by  the 
town  standard.  Let  us  have  those  coun¬ 
try  boys  to  train  in  a  consolidated  school 
and  the  word  ‘hick’  will  soon  disappear 
from  usage.” 
“That’s  just  my  point,”  pressed  the 
farm  man  eagerly.  “Make  all  the  boys 
into  the  standard  type  of  city  lads  and 
who  will  do  the  work  of  the  world?  The 
young  man  who  is  eager  to  work  and 
has  known  enough  experience  to  see  him¬ 
self  in  the  proper  perspective  must  come 
from  somewhere,  will  come,  if  need  be, 
from  foreign  countries.  No,  I  think  I’d 
prefer  the  country  lad  to  keep  his  own 
trademark.  Call  him  green  if  you  like, 
for  that  means  fresh,  unspoiled,  growing. 
It  is  common  knowledge  that  he  can 
adapt  himself  to  any  business  ;  he  doesn’t 
have  to  be  forced  on  the  labor  market. 
It  is  my  honest  opinion  that  the  consoli¬ 
dated  school  system,  spread  far  enough, 
would  turn  us  into  a  nation  of  educated 
tramps.  Let’s  not  abolish  the  old  coun¬ 
try  school.  It’s  like  killing  the  goose 
that  laid  the  golden  egg.” 
The  superintendent’s  laugh  sounded 
scornful.  “I  don’t  think  it’s  as  bad  as 
you  make  out,”  he  answered  rising 
stiffly.  “Of  course  there  is  food  for 
thought  in  what  you  say.  But  I  don’t 
see  how  it  could  harm  a  young  fellow  to 
be  well  educated  from  the  start.” 
“It  isn’t  the  education,  really,”  de¬ 
precated  the  farm  man.  “The  farm  boys 
are  great  readers — there  is  a  better  edu¬ 
cation  in  our  best  magazines  than  you’d 
ever  imagine.  It’s  the  habit  of  idleness, 
a  shame  of  physical  exertion  that’s 
taught  with  it.  Well,  must  you  go?  I’m 
mighty  obliged  for  the  word  about  the 
maps.  You’re  helping  us  all  you  can  I 
think.” 
“I'm  glad  to  have  you  feel  that  way,” 
said  the  superintendent  more  thought¬ 
fully.  “And  of  course  when  a  child  is 
anxious  for  a  higher  education  you  can 
always  send  him  where  he  can  obtain  if. 
When  you  look  at  it,  this  way  there  is 
saved  a  great  deal  of  labor  and  money  tn 
trying  to  teach  what  cannot  possibly  be 
absorbed.” 
“That’s  it,”  cried  the  farm  man  eager 
ly.  “Most  of  us  are  common  people.  Give 
us  the  three  R’s,  history,  geography,  and 
physiology,  and  we  are  well  fitted  for 
our  station  in  life.  If  there  were  no 
common  people,  who  would  do  this  job 
I’ve  been  doing  today?  Our  farms  would 
have  to  go  into  the  possession  of  for¬ 
eign  farmers,  and  in  another  generation 
our  children  would  be  only  office-holders. 
Those  who  couldn’t  get  a  white  collar  job 
would  ride  freight  cars.  That’s  if  there 
were  no  common  people.  Look  here,  did 
you  ever  think  that  by  making  every  one 
extraordinary,  you’d  make  every  one 
common  after  all?”  His  hearty  laugh 
was  infectious. 
They  parted  smiling  and  thinking,  as 
the  noon  whistle  shrilled  from  across  the 
valley.  mrs.  f.  h.  unger. 
Fall  Work  Around  the  Garden 
In  the  good  old  days  it  was  thought 
the  bitterer  the  dose  the  better  the  tonic, 
and  I  came  across  a  mental  tonic  one 
day  recently.  I  will  not  quote  the  whole, 
only  the  last  sentence  :  “A  clean-minded, 
orderly,  beauty-loving.  conscientious, 
thoroughly-to-be-trusted  individual  will 
have  a  correspondingly  well-cared-for  gar¬ 
den”.  All  correct,  perhaps,  and  yet  I 
wonder  who  wrote  it?  A  man  who 
started  with  nothing  but  a  heart  full  of 
courage,  and  is  scratching  for  a  living 
on  a  farm  for  himself,  wife  and  a 
houseful  of  children,  or  was  it  this 
man’s  wife?  I  plead  guilty  to  letting 
weeds  get  in  the  garden,  to  not  keeping 
the  dead  blooms  picked  off,  etc.,  but  this 
article  and  this  sentence  has  haunted  me 
and  I  have  re-read  it  nearly  every  day 
and  then  gone  out  and  wondered  how  the 
place  looked  to  others,  and  what  needed 
to  be  done  first. 
September  and  October  will  both  have 
many  lovely  days  when  one  can  use  the 
spare  moments  occasionally  in  getting 
ready  for  the  perfect  garden  we  will  have 
next  year.  August  seems  to  belong  to 
the  annuals,  but  now  many  have  bloomed 
out  .and  need  cutting  back,  or  perhaps  the 
seeds  have  ripened  and  are  through  this 
year’s  work.  I  save  all  the  seeds  I  can, 
and  never  have  enough  to  divide  with 
other  flower  lovers.  If  the  plants  are 
gone  by  or  after  frost,  pull  the  plants, 
spade  the  bed  and  top-dress  it.  Then 
in  Spring  spade  again  and  see  how  your 
plants  will  respond  to  “Fall  plowing.” 
In  the  hardy  border,  remove  the  dead 
blooms,  save  seed,  pull  and  burn  the 
weeds  and  top-dress. 
I  have  recently  learned  that  the  rea¬ 
son  of  few  or  small  peony  blooms  is  often 
lack  of  fertilizer.  And  a  friend  says 
tulips  must  be  reset  every  second  or  third 
year  or  they  disappear.  So  that  accounts 
for  my  failure. 
If  the  roses  haven’t  been  trimmed  back, 
do  it  now,  cutting  out  much  of  the  old 
wood.  The  tender  roses  can  be  lifted 
and  set  in  tubs,  then  wintered  in  a  light, 
cool  but  frost-proof  room.  Some  way 
I  cannot  winter  many  plants  in  a  dark 
cellar.  Chrysanthemums  are  jewels. 
After  blooming,  just  set  down  cellar,  do 
not  water  much  if  any,  and  the  next 
Spring  they  are  ready  to  begin  life  anew, 
and  Amaryllis  are  often  all  the  better  for 
a  dry  rest  in  the  cellar. 
I  cover  the  bedded  geraniums  to  pro¬ 
tect  from  early  frosts,  then  treat  like 
the  tender  roses,  and  usually  cut  back  both 
rather  severely.  Large  plants  of  Abuti- 
lon  can  be  carried  over  the  same  way, 
and  these  are  beautiful  for  bedding  in 
partially  shaded  beds. 
Remember  Autumn  is  the  only  time  to 
set  Spring  bulbs,  and  the  best  time  for 
Iris  and  peonies.  Lilacs  and  syringas 
may  also  be  set,  but  here  at  the  North 
I  find  Spring  setting  safest  for  ■  most 
shrubs  and  plants. 
Recently  we  saw  a  luxuriant  hedge  of 
Rosa  rugosa,  the  Japanese  rose ;  there 
were  both  crimson  and  white  in  bloom 
in  August.  There  were  many  hips  quite 
red,  and  these  are  so  large  they  are  very 
ornamental.  The  foliage  was  abundant 
and  a  very  daik  green  in  spite  of  the 
driest  season  in  years. 
“What  is  that  shrub?”  asked  mother. 
“The  Rosa  rugosa  ;  it  is  very  hardy.”  “It 
looks  it,”  and  it  certainly  fills  the  place 
for  a  hardy  hedge. 
Then  too,  when  gathering  fruit,  notice 
the  apple  trees  that  yield  best  year  after 
year,  and  mark  these  to  secure  scions 
from  next  Spring.  Your  neighbor  will 
be  glad  to  let  you  have  scions  from  his 
best  trees  too.  'We  have  excellent  results 
grafting  and  cut  our  scions  in  Spring 
and  set  at  once  if  we  can.  If  obliged  to 
keep  scions  a  few  days,  we  bury  them 
entirely  in  a  garden  bed.  I  do  not  pre¬ 
tend  to  be  authority  on  the  subject  but 
most  of  the  farms  have  apple"  trees  that 
bear  abundantly  and  in  nearly  every 
case  they  are  wild  trees  grafted.  If  I 
had  young  wild  apple  trees,  thrifty  and 
straight  I  would  not  hesitate  to  use  them 
to  graft  on.  Every  year  we  trim  out  in 
what  was  once  a  hillside  mowing,  then 
pasture,  then  unused  until  it  became 
brush  land,  and  graft  10  or  a  dozen  wild 
apple  trees,  and  the  growth  is  surprising, 
some  grafts  growing  over  two  feet  the 
first  season. 
Just  for  an  experiment  we  also  grafted 
the  most  scraggly  apple  tree  I  ever  saw 
vv.th  scions  from  a  thrifty  nursery-bred 
Wealthy  and  the  graft  growth  is  as  fine 
and  straight  as  its  aristocratic  parent.  It 
should  begin  bearing  next  year.  The  Mc¬ 
Intosh  Red  scions  are  a  delight,  they 
grow  so  fast,  and  the  Blue  Pearmains 
must  know  how  we  love  them,  and  are 
heartily  co-operating.  York  Imperial  are 
doing  well,  but  are  not  recommended  for 
our  section.  mother  bee. 
Mr.  Skimp:  “I  don’t  see  how  you  had 
this  counterfeit  bill  passed  on  you.”  Mrs. 
Skimp :  “Well,  you  don’t  let  me  see 
enough  real  money  to  enable  me  to  tell 
the  difference.” — New  Haven  Register. 
letting  ready  for  the  apple  crop;  a  truck  load  of  “empties”  at  a  W 
storage  house. 
ayne  Co.,  N.  Y. 
Time  for  every  member  of 
your  family  to  change  into 
Heavier  Underwear — 
KNIT  underwear,  of  course,  because: 
Its  fabric  and  construction  hold  a  thin 
layer  of  air  next  the  skin  to  keep  you 
warm — and  it  also  keeps  your  body  dry. 
Your  dealer  will  show  you  a  fabric,  a 
weight  and  a  style  that  is  just  right  for 
fall  or  winter  comfort  and  protection. 
Made  in  wool,  cotton,  silk  or  mixtures 
for  men,  women  and  children 
Qive  your  health  first  consideration 
this  fall — 
Address 
Write  for  our  Book¬ 
let ”27  Reasons”  and 
learn  facts  about  the 
family’s  underwear 
erweah 
Roy  A.  Cheney,  Sec’y,  63  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York.N.Y. 
ASSOCIATED  KNIT  UNDERWEAR 
MANUFACTURERS  OF  AMERICA 
attractive  —  clean 
RED  CROSS  Ranges  brighten 
the  kitchen.  Beautifully  enam¬ 
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clean ;  washable  ;  sanitary ;  cook 
and  bake  perfectly. 
Sold  by  leading 
■■■  dealers.  WRITE 
for  catalogue,  free. 
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Co-operative 
Since  186/ ”  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  U.  S.  A. 
RED  CROSS 
Ranges  8  Inmaces 
ER! 
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Easyl  Quick!  Safel  Cheap! 
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PIONEER  SHIRT  CO.,  87E  Fifth  Ave.,  N.  Y. 
/CANVAS  COVERS \ 
FOR  ALL  PURPOSES 
Protect  your  machines,  wagons  and  tools  from  the  sun 
and  storms  and  they  will  last  twice  us  long.  We  make 
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BOWMAN  -  DURHAM  -  BOBBINS,  Inc. 
Dept.  K,  26  Front  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
AT  AUCTION 
WEDNESDAY,  OCTOBER  10th 
I  will  sell  the  farm  of  140  aeres  owned  by  L.  Cifar- 
elli.  Good  neighbors,  buildings  and  markets.  An 
opportunity  to  buy  a  farm  at  your  own  price  with 
easy  terms.  Billposter  of  farm  and  personal 
property  will  be  forwarded  upon  request. 
O.  S.  JANSEN,  Auctioneer  Wallkill,  N.Y. 
FOTJXjTHY  Panti-lSAcres 
8-room  dwelling,  with  modern  improvements,  sta¬ 
ble,  shed,  complete  poultry  houses,  duck  pond,  con¬ 
venient  location,  55  miles  from  New  York,  for  sale, 
A.  V.  D.  Wallace,  Goshen,  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y. 
Wanted-Buyers  for  New  York  State  Farms 
Interesting  pamphlet  of  facts  and  list  free. 
O.  F.  LAKE  .  TULLY,  NEW  YORK 
For  Sala-178-ACRE  FARM 
Excellent  buildings;  good  soil:  timber;  fully 
equipped;  crops;  stock.  Excellent  bargain.  Many 
others  at  $25  to  $100  per  acre.  WESTC0TT,  Oswego  N.Y. 
When  you  write  advertisers  mention 
The  Rural  New-  Yorker  and  you  ’ll  get 
a  quick  reply  and  a  “ square  deal.”  See 
guarantee  editorial  page.  : 
